Leap
by Ayswen
Summary: AU: Mizuki's brother drags her home when he finds out she's been attending a boy's school. It's five years later... and Mizuki and Nakatsu haven't seen each other in years...


_Title: Leap _

_Rating: T _

_Pairing: Mizuki/Nakatsu _

_Notes: So I finished watching the Japanese Live Action Drama and, felt like I wanted to change some things. I don't want to spoil anybody that hasn't seen and wants to so I won't go into what I wasn't pleased with (though its entirely worth watching, don't think otherwise!). __This is a bit of an AR. I've gone back to the beginning. Mizuki's brother finds out that she's attending a boy's school and brings her home. Five or six years later... here we are. Additionally, apparently eats email addresses written into the text. I've uploaded and then re-edited but it still just shows the beginning. So, when it says Nakatsu's email address... at one time I had a fake one there for him. Oh well. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, situations or copyrights for Hana Kimi. I'm just playing with the characters a bit. I'll put them back good as new when I'm done. _

Chapter One: Personal Honesty, and Emails

Nakatsu Shuichi was a man with goals. He had ambition and determination in abundance, but when he came to women, and one in particular, all his strength of will seemed to drain out the bottom of his feet. Ashiya Mizuki was the girl of his dreams – and he'd had lots of dreams about her. She'd gone to his all boys' high school, bound and dressed as a boy, until her brother found out and had brought her home by force. They'd kept in touch for years via email, instant message and postcards that must now number in the hundreds.

It hadn't taken long for him to fall utterly for her. She was upbeat, enthusiastic about life, and had only improved with age. She'd gone from merely adorable to stunningly beautiful somewhere around 19. Most importantly, her ability to spread cheer, and empathize had never faded, or faltered. She'd been a rock many times over the years when he thought he'd never make it through exams, trials for soccer teams, a few heart-wrenching breakups during university, and all from across the globe.

It was a strange thing to miss someone you hadn't seen in years, and had only then, been friends for three months, but miss her he did. He wanted to hug her, and say thank you for everything you've done for me. He wanted to kiss her and tell her her how much he'd grown to love her.

It'd been a long day at practice and he'd ignored the standard sniping he got from his teammates about not picking up any woman, if not a long term interest, a short term fling. His standard response was to shake his head and tell them he'd already picked the girl, he just hadn't told her yet. They figured he was just buying time, he knew. Well, he'd heard Narikita say as much to Sekigara when they thought he'd gone for the showers already. Shaking his head, he was simply glad that the season was winding down. He was exhausted, and so were his knees.

He propped himself against a plush couch cushion on the sofa of his modest little apartment, having just settled his foot on a pillow resting on his coffee table, and a large wrapped ice pack over his knee. He reached for the laptop that was resting on the end table and propped it legs. He'd gotten an email from her a day ago, but hadn't had a moment to read it yet.

_To: Nakatsu  
From: Mizuki  
Subject: Wednesdays  
Date: March 4_

_Mid-terms are upon me! So, if I'm a less than stellar correspondent, that's why- because I'm neck deep in papers and exams and lab reports. I take extreme solace in the fact that I'm very nearly finished. I just have to make it to May and I'll be free! Free to get a training certificate to go with my degree, but with my fabulous degree in hand, and ready to earn money! Not that I don't now, I take a pretty good wage as a technician at the clinic, and a morning dog -walker, but nonetheless, I'll make more as a full doctor. My dad beams at me when he thinks I'm not looking. I know he's pleased that I follow in his footsteps, even if Shizuki was a doctor as well._

_I broke it off with James last week. He thinks I'm going to change my mind, and crawl back to him after the stress haze from exams lifts, but I'm not. I was totally aware of what I was doing when I told him that it wasn't working, and I wanted out. I packed my things and I'm staying with Jules in her campus apartment, for now. I don't know why I moved in with him. As an outside observer of events and all my craziness: do you know? I'm baffled by myself. Maybe I just wanted to be happy so much so that I wasn't going to think through the inevitable issues I knew were there. Probably._

_You know what I really want? I want a man that doesn't call me Mickey. James knew I would rather be called Mizuki, but he ignored what I wanted. And so, goodbye. I will miss Lucky though- the cat. She was sweet._

_Tomorrow morning Jackson, Rascal, and Matty will show up for walks, and my heart will be lighter. I love dogs._

_I heard your team is doing really well. I hate that I can't get the games over here! Maybe you'll play a FIFA game one day, and I'll get to see you then. How's things there? Julia wants to know why you never write me about all the women you must get. (Actually she said it in a much more rudely, but I'll spare you from her bad manners!) Miss ya!_

_Mizuki_

Nakatsu tapped at the keyboard, pacing out a row of spaces, only to delete them all again, as he tried to formulate a response. Mizuki had been seeing this guy James for about a year, and she'd moved to his place just before New Year's. And now she'd left just like that? He'd wondered about their relationship for a while, she never wrote much about it, except milestones- Valentine's and moving in. He thought maybe it was just personal, but now he wondered if it was just so unremarkable that she'd had nothing to say. Surely, any woman that could walk away from someone because of such a small issue, and think only of the cat left behind, hadn't found anything worth keeping in what she had.

Nakatsu knew how that went. He'd dated a woman for two months before having to excuse himself. He'd liked her well enough, but he couldn't stop his brain from making the comparison between her and Mizuki, even if it was entirely unfair. He also knew that at least at a third of what he thought Mizuki was, was probably just a fantasy, but he knew enough of her to know how he felt. Even if the reality of Mizuki wore plain cotton panties every single day, and left dirty plates in the sink for three days before washing them.

_To: Mizuki  
From: Nakatsu  
Subject: WOMEN  
Date: March 6_

_You tell your nosy friend Julia that there are plenty of pretty girls to be had! I'm just not interested in a fling. I want something much more meaningful than a girl that likes me because I play ball. You know what I mean? I'm sure you do. I'd say I was sorry about your break with James, but I'm really not. If you could walk away with no sadness then its a relationship that wasn't good for you anyway, and it was probably time to go. You just let the dogs cheer you up! There's somebody out there for you, Mizuki. (Which I have always, and will always call you not that ridiculous Yankee name!)_

_Anyway. Things are all right here. I'm sitting on my couch, icing my poor knee, and writing to my best friend. Couldn't ask for more than that. Well, maybe better knees! I gave the right knee a pretty good twist in a recent game and it's been bugging me for a bit, but the team doctor says its just a strain, and if I rest it up, and keep it iced, I'll be good as new in no time. I'm glad the season's almost over though. I'm tired of traveling all over, and never stopping. I have a month and a half off soon!_

_Me play in a FIFA Match? You're hilarious, you are! In my dreams maybe._

_I'm gonna close because I'm exhausted, and dropping off a little bit. Good luck on your exams!_

_Shuichi_

Nakatsu sent off the email and got up, taking the cloth wrapped ice pack off his knee, and left the laptop on the table in front of him. He stood up with a groan and shuffled off to the kitchen toss the ice pack back in the freezer before stripping off his clothes en-route to his bed.

_End Note: I read over this a few times, but if you guys come across something, or have suggestions let me know, as I lack a beta that is familiar with the characters. Worth continuing? Let me know! Thanks, guys!_


End file.
